Eniko Kubinyi

Enikő Kubinyi is a senior researcher at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, leading the MTA-ELTE Lendület “Momentum” Companion Animal Research Group. She joined the Family Dog Project in 1994. Supported by an ERC Starting Grant, she has established the Senior Family Dog Project and the Canine Brain and Tissue Bank to study the cognitive ageing of dogs. She studied biology, teaching and video communication, received her PhD in ethology, and is a “Doctor of Science” (DSc) in biology. Her research, published in 93 peer-reviewed articles, focused on the social behaviour and cognition of dogs, wolf-dog comparisons, ethorobotics, collective motion, and human-animal interactions, using behavioural testing, surveys, EEG, fMRI, movement-tracking technology, gut microbiome, and genetic analyses. She teaches behavioural genetics, domestication, animal personality, and human ethology at ELTE. Her work was acknowledged by the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science, Junior Prima, and APA Frank A. Beach Comparative Psychology Awards. She is a fellow of the Young Academy of Europe and a founding member of the Young Academy of Hungary. Dissemination of research is one of her favourite activities. She is married and has three children.

Keywords: animal behaviour, ethology, ethorobotics, comparative cognition, cognitive ageing, behaviour genetics, animal personality, tissue bank, welfare, dog, wolf

PERSONAL INFORMATION

  • Family name, First name: Kubinyi, Eniko
  • Affiliation: Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
  • Contact: eniko.kubinyi@ttk.elte.hu, +36 1 3812179
  • Date of birth: 01 Aug. 1976
  • Career breaks: 3 children (2004: twins and 2011; equaling to 4.5 years career break)
  • Nationality: Hungarian

RESEARCHER UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS

 POSITIONS

  • 2016- Senior Research Fellow, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
  • 2015-2016 Lecturer, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
  • 2012-2016 Senior Research Fellow, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Hungary
  • 2013 Research Fellow, MTA-ELTE Statistical and Biological Physics Research Group, Hungary
  • 2008-2012 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Hungary (LIREC, EU FP7)
  • 2005-2008 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary (Hungarian Research Fund PD)
  • 2004-2005 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary (Ministry of Education PD)
  • 2003 Research Assistant, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
  • 2003 Manager, Ecofilm (later Filmjungle) Society
  • 2001 Internship as a PhD student, Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Paris, France

QUALIFICATIONS

  • 2022 Habilitation (ELTE)
  • 2021 Doctor of Sciences (DSc) in Biology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • 2004 PhD in Ethology: Interspecific social learning in dogs, Dept. of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, Supervisor: Vilmos Csányi
  • 2003 Biology teacher, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
  • 2003 Videocommunication and scientific editing, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
  • 1999 Biologist, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

 FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

  • 2022 Juhász Nagy Pál award
  • 2021 Pro Scientia supervisor Certificate of Merit
  • 2021 ELTE Certificate of Merit
  • 2020 Bolyai János Certificate of Merit (HAS)
  • 2019 Science Communication 1st prize, ELTE ÚNKP
  • 2018-19 ERASMUS+ Teaching mobility, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
  • 2018-19 Bolyai+ National Excellence (ÚNKP), Ministry of Human Resources
  • 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science
  • 2016 Bolyai János Certificate of Merit (HAS)
  • 2016 Recognition, Juhari Zsuzsanna Award for popular science blogs
  • 2016-2019 Bolyai János Scholarship
  • 2015 The Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Travel Grant (ABS 2015, Anchorage), 2700 USD, PI
  • 2015 Top 50 researchers (based on the total number of citations) of the Eötvös Loránd University (only 3 women are on the list)
  • 2010-11/13-15 Bolyai János Scholarship, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • 2006 SALVE Foundation Scholarship, Hungary
  • 2009 Junior Prima Award for Science
  • 2004 Frank A. Beach Comparative Psychology Award (best first-authored paper in Journal of Comparative Psychology in 2003)
  • 2002 1st prize at Hungarian PhD Students Conference, Szent István University, Hungary
  • 2002 Travel grant to a conference, Germany, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • 2000 Volkswagen Foundation Scholarship (Würzburg Summer School), Germany
  • 2000 Pro Renovanda Cultura Hungariae Scholarship
  • 1999 Hungarian Republic Scholarship
  • 1998 Hungarian Republic Scholarship
  • 1998 2nd prize at the Biology Student Competition, Eötvös Loránd University
  • 1995 Recognition, IV. Youth Innovation and Science Competition

RESEARCH GRANTS

  • 2022-2026 MTA National Brain Programme 3.0 (175M HUF)
  • 2021-2022 NKFIH Mecenatúra (MEC_N 141314), 14.504 M HUF
  • 2021-2026 MTA Lendület/Momentum (LP2021-7/2021), 200 M HUF
  • 2021-2026 NKFIH Élvonal/Forefront, 300 M HUF (revoked)
  • 2020-2022 PetSavers Grant, 43,330 Euro, consultant
  • 2017 Gut microbiome-cognition correlations, L, PI
  • 2016-2021 European Research Council Starting Grant (EVOLOR-680040), 1,202,500 Euro, PI
  • 2015-2017 Comparative investigation of the social-cognitive mechanisms in dogs and humans. Hungarian Research Fund (K112138), postdoc researcher, 25,590,000 HUF, CI
  • 2011-2016 Genetic effects on the behaviour of the domestic dog, Hungarian Research Fund (K84036), 11,846,000 HUF, PI
  • 2008-2013 Living with robots and interactive companions, EU FP7 (215554), 8,200,000 Euro, CI (635,000 for the institution)
  • 2005-2009 Conspecific and heterospecific social learning in dogs, Hungarian Research Fund (K49615), 8,190,000 HUF, CI
  • 2005-2008 Personality-gene associations in dogs; Hungarian Research Fund (PD48495), 16,765,000 HUF, PI
  • 2004-2007 Comparative investigation of social learning types, Ministry of Education, Hungary, 15,000,000 HUF, CI
  • 2003-2006 Dog as a model of human personality; Hungarian Research Fund (43763), 6,016,000 HUF, CI
  • 2001 MÖB Eötvös Scholarship (3 months, Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Paris, France

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

  • Human Ethology, MSc and PhD courses, 2021-
  • Animal Personality, PhD Course, 2016-
  • Behavioural Genetics, PhD course, 2016-
  • Evolution and Behaviour of Canines, BSc course (31%), 2005-
  • Previously: Ethology Practicum, Dog Behavioural Therapy: Organising 7 seminars for veterinarians and dog trainers and lectures on shelter dogs, dominance, modern methods in behavioural therapy (2011 – 2013), Behavioural Plasticity, Cognitive Ethology, Integrative Methods in Ethology (2008-2015), Human Ethology for psychology assistants (HAS, 2007-2008)

SUPERVISION

  • Postdocs: 9 (HU, I, UK)
  • PhD students: 10 (3 with diploma)
  • MSc Students: 15 (14 with diploma, 8 prize winning)
  • BSc students: 11 (8 with diploma)
  • internship students  (from NL, N, S, F, I, M, USA, G, P, AR, CZ, T).

ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

  • 2018               Canine Science Forum, Advisory Board, Chair, 200 int. participants, 3-6 July (ELTE)
  • 2015-2016    Worldwide Free Seminar of the Family Dog Project, Main Organizer, 35.000 online followers (ELTE)
  • 2014-ongoing            Canine Behaviour Conference (in Hu), a yearly event, Main Organizer, 300 participants, 1000+ online (ELTE)
  • 2008              Canine Science Forum, member of Local Organising Committee, 200 int. participants, 5-9 July (ELTE)

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • 2016-            Principal Investigator and group leader of the Senior Family Dog Project (ELTE)
  • 2016-             Member of the Ethology Doctoral Program Committee (ELTE)

REVIEWING ACTIVITIES

Grants: ERC, FWF, Hungarian Ethology Society, National Research, Development and Innovation Office, Budapest
PhD Examination: External Reviewer for 5 PhD theses, Internal Reviewer for 2 PhD theses: Member of PhD Committee for 10 PhD defences since 2008.
Guest Editor: Frontiers in Neuroscience
Journal reviewer: e.g., Animal Cognition, Animals, Biology Letters, Current Biology, Comparative Cognition and Behavior Reviews, Interaction Studies, Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, BMC Genetics, Journal of Animal Science

MEMBERSHIPS IN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

  • 2022-           FENS CARE (Fédération of European Neuroscience Society, Committee on Animals in Research)
  • 2019-           Founding Member, Young Academy of Hungary)
  • 2017-           Member, Young Academy of Europe
  • 2017-           UFAW (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare) LINK Person
  • 2015-2017 Member, Animal Behavior Society
  • 1996-           Member, Admin of social media page, Hungarian Ethology Society

MAJOR COLLABORATIONS

Current: Dept. of Biological Physics, Genetics, Microbiology (ELTE, HU), University of Kaposvár (HU), University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (A), Charles University (CZ), Stockholm University, KTH (S), University of Washington, NIH Bethesda, Princeton University (USA).
Past (resulted in joint publications): Semmelweis University, ELTE PPK, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, SONY CSL, University of Iceland, Kalamazoo College, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, AEC Anthrozoology Education and Canines, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Catholic University College Ghent, University of Pécs, Texas University, Columbia University

INVITED PRESENTATIONS AT INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

YAE talk (2022); University of Liverpool (2022); LUMOUS Seminar (2022), Bilkent University (2022); University of Life Sciences in Lublin (2021), Universität Bern (2018); Charles University, Prague (2017), ERC – a Success Story for Europe” pre-conference workshop, MTA (2017); Comparative Canine Behavior Symposium of the Animal Behavior Society, University of Missouri, USA (2016), Canine Behaviour Genetics, London, UK (2015), XXXI. International Ethological Conference, Rennes (2009), 3rd European Conference on Behavioural Biology, Dijon, France (2008)

MEDIA EXPERIENCE

My research was covered in the national and international media (e.g. The Times, New York Times, NBC News, Reuters, International Science Time, Science Daily, New Scientist, Daily Mail, ScienceShot, Discovery News, Science 2.0, The Australian). I published more than 500 articles in popular science magazines since 1997, maintain 2 science blogs (1,2), 3 webpages, 5 facebook sites, 2 groups, 2 twitter pages and can reach ~36k people via these channels. I yearly organise a conference for canine science dissemination, with 200-300 participants, the online outreach is 40-250k people/event

 

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

PRESS COVERING OUR RESEARCH